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Abandoned but Not Forgotten: The Story of Chuck

From factory farming to kitten season, we focus a lot on the big issues facing animal welfare in this country. But behind each “big issue” is the individual face of every single animal touched by our work. One such animal is a 40-lb., 2-year-old pit bull named Chuck.

When Chuck first came to the ASPCA in 2013, he couldn’t walk. Abandoned and left for dead, he had lost the use of his hind legs from joint disease and hip fractures—both of which had gone untreated. He was taken to our premier Animal Hospital in New York City, where he received surgery to relieve his pain. Once healed, Chuck was enrolled in an intensive physical therapy regimen in conjunction with Animal Medical Center in Manhattan.

“Chuck is a happy dog whose personality was very friendly, energetic—let’s go, let’s go—all the time, despite his disability,” says Dr. J’mai Gayle, Director of Surgery at the ASPCA Animal Hospital. He was a perfect candidate for rehabilitation.

Over the next six months, Chuck underwent an astonishing transformation. Through physical therapy, which included hydrotherapy, treadmill work and other vigorous exercises, he slowly regained strength in his legs and learned how to walk again. The once-crippled dog was mobile once more.

“The intensive physical therapy work that everyone put in made all the difference for Chuck,” says Dr. Gayle. “He made a believer out of me.”

See Chuck’s recovery for yourself:

But Chuck’s story is just one of thousands. Every single day, we meet animals just like him—animals who have been abandoned, forgotten, or otherwise forsaken. With your help, we can continue to provide hope and healing for these animals, and continue to do the kind of work that truly changes lives. Please make a donation to the ASPCA today.

Together, we will help more animals like Chuck begin their road to recovery—one step at a time.

If you're interested in adopting Chuck, please call our Adoption Center in New York City at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4120.

its only god's work when the A.S.P.C.A. Helps them not kills them.. There are a lot of killing in the shelters too. Chuck just happens to be a lucky one because he is a pit. but what about the other breeds they need to be lucky too.

To be a born a pitbull is not a lucky fate. Their popularity in the last 10 years have encouraged breeders to exploit them for money, and often they are pulled into fighting rings, mistreated and abused, just like how Chuck was treated earlier in his life.

Because they are so overpopulated and bred, and because so many people buy them thinking they will be the right dog for them, or buy them for the wrong reasons, they realize later that they cannot care for them, or simply dont want them anymore and discard them in one way or another.

Black dogs and pits are certainly unlucky when it comes to euthanasia. From my experience working in shelters, black pets and pit bulls have it rough when trying to get adopted and often are put down.

No breed is necessarily luckier than another, but small dogs, young dogs, pretty dogs and family dogs are certainly adopted and helped more frequently.

If you want to make a dog lucky, adopt a dog from a shelter who has black fur, is large, is older, or perhaps isnt the best looking -- or some combination of those. They will thank you for it =)